Biotechnology company LanzaTech earlier this month announced a new partnership with carbon transformation firm Twelve to develop the technology which could drastically cut emissions and result in eco-friendly polypropylene production.
The duo will utilise both of their technologies. Twelve’s carbon transportation technology that replaces petrochemicals in products and supply chains with CO2Made® carbon negative chemicals and materials, as well as carbon neutral fuels.
LanzaTech’s carbon recycling Pollution to Products™ technology uses nature-based solutions to produce ethanol and other materials from waste carbon sources. Together, they hope to enable additional product development from CO2 streams.
On the plans, Dr. Etosha Cav, Chief Science Officer of Twelve, said, “Polypropylene is a key material for essential medical supplies and for many products we rely on in our daily lives. Today, 100% of new polypropylene in use worldwide is made from petrochemicals.
“We now have a way to produce this critical material from CO2 and water instead of from fossil fuels, with no trade-offs in quality, efficacy or performance. Replacing all of the world’s fossil polypropylene production with CO2Made polypropylene would reduce carbon emissions by an estimated 700 million tonnes per year or more.
Dr. Jennifer Holmgren, CEO of LanzaTech, added, “By harnessing biology, we can leverage the power of nature to solve a very modern problem. The overabundance of CO2 in our atmosphere has pushed our planet into a state of emergency. We need all carbon transformation solutions to turn this liability into an opportunity, keeping fossil resources in the ground, and our climate safe for everyone.”